Revelation
by ForeverTooned
Summary: Cajun rattlesnake, Luna Grimmore shows up in Mud and claims she's looking for an old friend, that vanished a few months earlier. But when all hell breaks loose, Rango is forced to call on Rattlesnake Jake to deal with the problem. As a dark shadow casts itself over Mud, secrets once buried deep in the past rise to the surface. "When the past comes back to bite you, bite it back."
1. Chapter 1: Storms and Serpents

CHAPTER 1: Storms and Serpents

On a normal night the town of Mud, formerly known as Dirt, would be relatively peaceful. The shopkeepers would be closing up for the night, the little ones would be tucked safely in bed and some of the locals would be down at the Gas Can Saloon having a drink. But tonight was definitely not a normal night. It was almost 10:00pm and a fierce, howling wind was buffeting the silent town. The shutters on the old west-style homes were shaking, rattling and banging, almost threatening to fly off their hinges. The buildings started to creak and moan as the wind slammed into their sides. But what was making the town even more eerie, was the fact that the place was almost pitch black. All the other buildings were dark and seemingly lifeless. Only one building was bright with light, the sheriff's office.

Sitting by the front window of said office was the raven Wounded Bird. Despite the banshee like wind and shaking of shutters outside the feathered deputy was napping quite peacefully, with his bum-leg resting on a desk and bird himself leaning back in a rocking chair. That changed real quick when Waffles, a thorny lizard, crashed into the office. A normal person would have been startled awake by a racket like that. But Wounded Bird had come to expect this by now, after sheriff Rango appointed the clumsy lizard to be the town jailer a few months ago.

"Evening Mr. Wounded Bird," Waffles grunted cheerfully as he laid in an upside down heap against Bird's desk.

"Evening Waffles," Bird responded, fixing his hat so the brim covered his face.

"Phwooeee, what a night this one's turning' out to be," Waffles said as he untangled and brushed himself off.

"A storm is coming," Wounded Bird replied, "With wind like this, it's going to be a bad one."

"I know what ya mean," Waffles chirped as he grabbed a chair and sat down, "As I was coming down I almost lost my hat, twice, and nearly got blown into the lake myself. … Speaking of the weather, ya thinking we should lock up the office before the storm hits?"

"We wait for the sheriff," Wounded Bird answered as he settled deeper into his rocking chair," When Rango gets back, we lock up."

"Ya mean sheriff Rango's not here," Waffles asked as he scratched his head, "Where did he get to? Visiting Ms. Beans? Talking to that Hill Clan, again?"

"No, he's at the Town Hall,"Bird replied curtly, "Had something planned for the children."

"What the heck is he up to now," Waffles asked as he stared out the window in the buildings direction.

"Not sure," Bird replied calmly, "Something about telling stories to ghosts."

"G-G-G-ghost!," Waffles exclaimed as his chair fell back and knocked over the gun rack, "Oops… Sorry Mr. Wounded Bird…"

Watching the clumsy lizard, all Bird could do was shake his head and try to get some more sleep. As Waffles fixed the guns and gun rack, Wounded Bird sunk as deep as he could into his rocking chair and fixed his hat over his eyes. Though he didn't show it, the old raven could not for the life of him understand why the chameleon sheriff appointed Waffles as town jailer at all.

* * *

Meanwhile… At the Town Hall

A fireplace roared inside the office of the former mayor, Tortoise John. Inside the same room a group of children sat quietly, some of them clinging to each other, as a black cloaked figure moved around the room speaking in a menacing tone.

"As she stood upon the gallows, the judge announced the witches crimes and verdict to the crowd below," the cloaked figure said in a raspy voice, "'Katarina Mason, you have been found guilty for the murders of seven men and the act of cannibalism in the name of devil worship', the judge yelled, 'For these unspeakable acts, you are hereby sentenced to execution by hanging. On this night, you are to be hung by the neck until dead and your body burned til only the bones remain. Have you any final words before your demise?'

Katarina stayed silent for a moment. Looking over the silent crowd, she finally spoke.

'My final words are a promise,' she said calmly to the crowd, ' One, I swear that on the day of my death I will rise from the grave and burn down this entire town to nothing but ash and rubble…'

The crowd rumbled in fear at her words. Not because she said it so calmly, but that the young woman said it with such truth and conviction in her voice. But what she said next chilled them to the bone…

'And second, one way or another… I will find those boys who ratted on me, AND DRAG THEM DOWN TO HELL!'", the cloak figure roared, causing several of the children to jump and scream, "With those final words, the witch of McCoy Swamp, Katarina Mason was hung from the gallows that All-Hallows-EVE. But as time went on, the curse never came true and people forgot all about Katarina Mason and her heinous crimes. A few years had passed since Katarinas' death, and once again All-Hallows-Eve was around the corner. The town was in a festive spirit and the young boys who testified against her had become close friends after their ordeal. That All-Hallows-Eve the boys decided to have a last hoorah as that year would be the last year for them to be boys. Back then it was tradition for the whole town to celebrate holidays together in the Town Hall and, as part of that tradition, the Town Hall was decorated for that one holiday. That night, the boys decided to sneak into the town hall and set up a few pranks for Halloween night. Little did they know that as they entered the darkened building it would be their last day on earth.

The ballroom of town hall was still. So still, that you could hear a pin drop. All of the boys had brought an oil lamp and, once the coast was clear, decided to light the lanterns. Out of the corner of their eyes, the boys saw the various jack-o-lanterns and decorations all set and ready for Halloween night. The boys decided to split up, so they could set their pranks quickly. Just as they finished, an eerie laughter arose in the silent ballroom. The laughter was that of a young woman, but it was not the good intentioned laughter of All-Hallows-Eve. This laughter was darker, colder, and more menacing than anything the boys had ever known. Raising their lanterns, they looked around to see where the laugh came from. And then… out of the darkness, they heard a new sound…," paused the cloaked stranger, "it was a clattering sound, like that of a wooden wind chime. The clattering grew louder, and louder, and louder as the boys desperately looked about the ballroom to find the source of the deafening din. Their pranks forgotten, the boys scrambled back to each other for was little sense of safety a group could provide. Suddenly, the noise stopped…"

"W-W-W-What happened," a little renard fox asked timidly, " What happened next?"

"What happened next," the cloaked figure repeated, "No one knows for sure. A fire had broken out inside the town hall that night and quickly spread from one building to the next. Eventually, the entire town was on fire and nobody could stop it. When morning finally came the town was nothing but a pile of ash and rubble. As people were searching through the charred ruins, they came across something inside what had once been the town hall. Inside what had once been the Town Hall laid the corpses of several older boys. Their ankles were broken and their bodies were scorched black by the heat of the raging this day, no one know how the fire started or how the boys died. Some say that a lit jack-o-lantern fell over, setting one of the decorations alight, and that the boys died trying to put it out. Others say that one of the boys pranks went off and scared another boy into dropping his lantern, starting the fire and trapping the boys inside. But the story that most folks believe, is that Katarina Mason made good on her word. She dragged the souls of those boys down to hell and, using it's fires, burned the town to the ground…," the cloaked figure finished.

"Woooow," said a little cactus mouse in a sailor dress, "That was a real scary story, Sheriff Rango."

"Heh-heh-heh, glad ya think so little sister" the cloaked figure chuckled as he removed the cloak. Underneath sed cloak was a skinny chameleon in old-west style clothing, grinning ear to ear. "Pwhoo, this thing is hot," he muttered under his breath.

"Aw, please put the cloak back on Sheriff," said a little bunny with slacks and suspenders.

"Yeah, Sheriff," chirped a small mole in jean overalls and glasses, "Tell us another one."

"I'd love to, but," The chameleon replied as the grandfather clock chimed the hour, "It's gettin' late. Time for all you little ones to be headin' home."

A collective aw spread over the children. As Rango finished folding the cloak and cleaning up, the children kept begging him to tell one more of these "ghost stories"

"Sorry kids," Rango said, kneeling down to the childrens level, "But I promised all your folks that you kids would be back byー 'KA-BANG'!ー Gyaahh," screamed the chameleon as a bolt of lightning flashed outside. Running to the same window Rango could see the wind battering the houses and the thunder and lightning flashing off in the distance. "Looks like I finished that story just in time," Rango said as he went to douse the fireplace, "All you little ones need to get home and quick. There's a storm on the way, and it looks like a bad one."

* * *

A little while later… Back at the Sheriffs Office…

Rango continued to groan as he held a cool rag to the left side of his face. Laying down on one of the jail cots, the chameleon knew he was going to be nursing a god awful headache come morning. Waffles on the other hand was laughing his thorny ass off. As to why, well…

"Bwaaah-hah-ha-hah, whoo-heeh, le-le-let me get this s-st-traight," Waffles gasped between laughs, leaning far back in his chair, "Yer walking Miss Priscilla home, when a big gust of wind blows yer hat off. So, youse goes to chase it and almost catch up to it. But just as you make a grab for yer hat, a shutter comes out of nowhere and hits you right in your face! Bwaah-hah-hah-hah, he-he, oooh-he, waaaaah-ha-ha-ha! That's the best story I ever heard Sheriff!"

"Yeah, hardy-har-har," Rango growled as he sat up on the jail bunk, "You wouldn't be laughing if it happened to you, Waffles."

"Hee-hee, this is too rich," Waffles cackled as he held his stomach, "I mean seriously… You've faced down Bad Bill and his whole gang, survived a hawk attack, and saved the whole town from Tortoise John. To top all that off, youse also squared off against "The Grim Reaper" himself and lived to tell about it. But all it takes to take you down… 'snicker, snicker,'… is a rogue window shutter, yaaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"Oh, shut your trap," Rango snapped, slipping out of his western accent, "Everything all boarded up for the night Bird?"

"Locked up tight," the raven said as he sat back down in his rocking chair, "Priscilla, you settled in for the night?"

"Almost," chirped a tiny cactus mouse as she poked her head out from a neighboring cell, "Gotta say, never slept in a jail cell before."

"Sorry bout the lack of accommodations, little sister," Rango groaned, slipping back into his western accent, "But I couldn't just send you home with that storm rolling in."

"It's a'right Sheriff," Priscilla chirped as she settled into the covers on her jail cot, "I'm sure my ma will understand. Good-night everyone."

"Goodnight little sister," Rango said as he laid back on his cot, "Good work today men, see ya in the morning."

"G-g-g'night," Waffles said as he finally got control over his laughter and laid his head down on a desk.

"Night," Wounded Bird said as he turned down the lamplight in the office.

* * *

Some time later… Near the edge of Mud…

A serpentine figure panted as it slithered across the dry, cracked earth. It was a rattlesnake, but this snakes' body was shorter and a little thinner. It wore a raggedy white wide-brim hat and had a pair of yellow lensed goggles over its eyes. Strapped to the snakes back was, what looked like, a knapsack for snakes and a large gun in a textured scabbard. It could feel the storm coming and the rapidly dropping temperature was making the snake even more frantic. An inaudible curse emerged from the creatures scaled lips when it felt rain droplets fall on its scales. All at once a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the deafening boom of thunder. A feminine yelp emerged from the serpent as it jumped into the air. Desperation setting in, the female serpent knew that it needed to find shelter… FAST!

"What the hell," the lady rattler cursed in a thick cajun accent, "Nom de Dieu, I thought that it never rained in dis damn place!"

Then, the lightning flashed again. It was only for a brief instant, but she saw it. It the distance there was a small town with a lake. With the storm growing worse by the second, the lady snake bolted towards the darkened town. However, once she got into the darkened town, the rain started falling even harder. It almost looked more like a waterfall suddenly appeared over the town. Although the mystery snakes' hat kept some of the water off her, she was still getting soaked. What's worse, her body temperature was dropping even more and her vision was starting to become blurry. It was definitely not a good sign. Even the most idiotic of snakes knew that if they got too cold, they'd fall asleep and never wake up. Just as panic was setting in, a set of loud banging sounds rang out over the torrent of rain. Looking around, the lady rattler zeroed in on the source of the noise. A set of doors to a stately/mansion type building had been flung open by the force of the storm and were now banging against sed building. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, the lady rattler bolted for the buildings entrance and nearly slammed her rattle in the doors when she tried to close them behind her.

"Fwoo, Dieu merci," the rattler sighed as she shook the icey rain from her scales.

Task one, complete. She managed to find a place to bunk for the night. Even better that the place she found was so big. But even with all this space, this mystery snake couldn't relax yet. Her body temperature was still dropping, even inside the dry building. Flicking her forked tongue about the snake desperately started searching for some form, any form, of heat in the building. Then, as she neared the stairs, she smelled something. It was faint, but it was the unmistakable scent of burned wood. There was a fireplace upstairs! Fast as she could manage, she slithered up the stairs and followed the scent in the pitch dark building. When she reached the source of the smell, the snake found herself in a grand room that was much warmer than the rest of the building. As her body started to warm up, the snake explored the room and found more wood and matches to start another fire. Before she knew it, she had a roaring fireplace and a nice warm room to sleep in for the night. Placing one more log on the fire, the lady rattler removed her gear and coiled herself up for the night. Letting out a big yawn she drifted off to sleep, hoping to God that whoever lived here didn't mind having an uninvited guest for the night.

* * *

The next morning… Outside the Town Hall…

On her way to the Town Hall, Angelique was having trouble this wet and muggy morning. As she walked down the empty streets of Mud, the sophisticated vixen could feel the humidity from last nights storm making her fur frizz. As a, self-described, civilized woman she despised when her appearance did not cooperate with her as is should. So needless to say she was glad it was still early in the morning and that no one could see her, less than presentable, appearance. She liked order and a constant routine but, thanks to the storm, getting into her normal routine almost impossible. Opening the doors, Angelique was shocked by what she saw. The normally cleaned to a lacquered shine floors, were covered in mud!

"C'est quoi danse le monde," the vixen screeched.

Never in her whole life had she seen this kind of mess. Not even when Bad Bill and his boys would stay here, would the Town Hall ever get this dirty. Already, the vixen was regretting letting Rango and the children stay late last night. If this was what happened when he was left in charge of children for one evening, then she would remember make Rango to so somewhere else. Finished making her mental note Angelique started to survey the damage, and hoping Spoons could clean it up before things got busy. But once she got near the stairs, she smelled something burning.

"Ce stupide shérif," Angelique exclaimed, "He left the fire burning!"

Racing upstairs, the vixen followed the smell of burning wood to, what had once been, Mayor Johns' Office. Throwing open the doors, she rushed inside the room and made a beeline for the fireplace. Looking around, she saw a mop and bucket of soapy water near the window and poured the water onto the smoldering embers. Hearing a hiss, a flustered Angelique relaxed for a moment. That clinched it for Angelique, she was never going to let that bumbling chameleon have the Town Hall after hours ever again! In fact she was never going to let him into the Town Hall, period! Just as she thought she was going to break something, Angelique heard a rustling sound near the door. As she looked in the sounds' direction another hiss reached her ears. What met her eyes, was a sight she could not believe. Coiled up in a corner near the door, and still dead asleep, was a giant snake.

Angelique was petrified at the sight of the sleeping serpent. Then, it stirred again. As the serpentine intruder adjusted its coils the terrified vixen caught sight of that unmistakable rattle. In that moment, Angelique did the only thing she could do in a situation like this… She ran like hell!


	2. CHapter 2: A Cajun in Mud

**I do not own Rango, its characters, or any part of the franchise. I only own Revelation.**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Cajun in Mud

Rousing from a fog of sleep a lady rattlesnake stretched out her coils, determined to relieve herself from stiffness in her muscles and joints. As she stretched, the snake took note of her surroundings. She recognized that this was was her bedroom. The walls were covered with old, worn looking wood and she could see a thin veil of sunlight pouring in from a balcony window. Outside, the morning songs of crickets and cicadas seemed to echo through the humid air of her swampy home. Inside, the snake could hear the voices and music through the worn wooden door of her room. Just as she finished cracking her spine an all too familiar smooth, rich as honey, feminine cajun voice reached her ears.

"Luna," the voice called out, "Breakfast."

"Comin' mama," the snake replied.

Grabbing a white wide-brim hat and putting on a pair of yellow lensed goggles, the lady rattler looked herself over in a mirror and opened her bedroom door. All at once a blinding flash of white light streamed through the doorway, dazzling the young snake. Rubbing her eyes with her coils, Luna blinked away the haze of light. When the haze did clear, she found herself surrounded by darkness. For what seemed like miles, Luna could see nothing but darkness. The "ground" was like an onyx mirror and would ripple like water when she moved her body. Her scales seemed to glow and the sound of her heartbeat seemed to echo within the strange void. As she looked around, a bright light in the distance caught her gaze. She didn't know why, but something about the light called to her. Almost entranced, her body moved towards the light. For hours it seemed she tried to make her way towards the light. But then, the light disappeared!

Looking around, Luna desperately searched for the mysterious light. Then, she heard a hiss come from behind her. Turning around, an all too familiar serpentine figure greeted her eyes. A large, thin, older-looking male snake with dark-brown scales and wearing a tan wide-brim western-style hat had his back turned to her. She thought she'd never see him again! Memories of what happened started rushing back. Luna could see the gun, hear the shots, feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as glass broke and wood splintered. Even though she was there, and saw everything, she still couldn't believe it actually happened. Luna couldn't stop the words from spilling out…

"Jason… Is dat you" the young rattlesnake asked the other snake. The other snake gave a twitch, hearing her voice. Cocking his head to the side, Luna still couldn't see the other snakes face, but she just knew it was him. Then… he spoke.

"What're you doin here girly," the brown snake asked in a gravely voice.

"You know why I'm here, _podna_ ", Luna replied firmly, "I want answers Jason."

"Answers," the brown snake parroted back to her, "You expect me to believe, that you left home and traveled across thousands of miles of desert just for me to answer some questions? You got your wires crossed, girly."

"And you expect me to believe dat you shot up my home, for kicks," Luna snapped at him, "I know you Jason. I've known you since I was a kid. So don't you dare think I don't know when you been keepin something from me…"

"You know me?!," the brown snake shouted as he turned to face her, revealing a pair of blazing yellow eyes, "Don't make me laugh! You think that just cause I told you a little about my past, means that you know everything about me. Well here's a little secret for ya, girly…" as he paused, the large brown snake pulled out a shotgun and aimed it straight at Luna's heart. The next words he said, made the young rattlesnake's blood run cold, "You know nothing." There was a click. And then, everything went white…

A loud slamming sound suddenly jolted Luna from her dream. The jolt was so bad, that the lady rattler jumped up and hit her head against the ceiling. First a storm, then a nightmare, and now a throbbing headache. She was seriously thinking that someone cast a _cunja_ on her.

" _Oh ye yi_ ," Luna shouted as she clutched her head with her coils, " _Passe a slap_ , Jason. I swear to god, when I find you, _passe a slap_!"

All she could do now was shake off the throbbing in her head and get moving. Uncoiling herself, she began to stretch her muscles and crack all the joints in her body. Looking around, Luna started to take in the grandeur of the office. There were bookcases along both long sides of the room and a huge stained glass window on the far side made of colored bottles. There was a big window next to the door and another between one the bookcases but, because of the dusty and worn looking shutters, the room seemed a lot darker in the early morning light. Looking up, Luna was surprised that she even hit her head, considering how high the ceilings were. As she finished working out the last knot in her body, she noticed that there was a puddle of water spreading across the floor.

"Someone must have put the fire out when I was sleepin," Luna thought outloud, "Hope I didn't scare'em to bad. I don't need folks chasin' me around 'fore I get settled in."

With her body all limbered up, Luna gave herself a once over in a mirror above the fire mantle before putting on her goggles, hat and the rest of her gear. She knew needed to get moving and start gathering information if she was ever going to find Jason. Hopefully that lead her mama sent her, back in Arizona, panned out. But first, she needed to find a place to stay while she was here. This building may have worked for last night, but Luna wasn't so sure it would work again for the rest of her stay. As she made her way downstairs, a sudden rumbling from her gut reminded the lady rattler of another matter she needed to attend to. She hadn't eaten anything in almost a week and was in desperate need of some food. Opening the main door, the rattlesnake wondered where she could grab a bite to eat? As she slithered outside a light thud caught her attention.

Looking around Luna could see a lady vixen, a poncho wearing raven, a pygmy possum in a sailor dress and a spiky-looking lizard staring at her with their jaws hung open. You'd think they never saw a snake before, the way they were looking at her. But then, Luna heard a slight whimpering sound below her. Looking down the lady snake saw a skinny chameleon dressed in western-style clothing splayed out on the ground, almost gawking at her. Noticing the lizard was sporting a black-eye, the rattlesnake bent her head down to he lizards level.

"Sorry bout dat _chere_ ," Luna said with a smile, "You ain't hurt are ya?"

* * *

A little while earlier, the folks in the Sheriff's Office were having a relatively peaceful morning. Well, if you count Rango snoring like a train engine as peaceful. Wounded Bird was cleaning his gun, Priscilla was getting ready to head home and Waffles was sweeping up the office. Rango, on the other hand, was still fast asleep. So when Angelique burst into the office in a blind panic, Rango wound up falling off his jail cot right on his head. A little while later, after Wounded Bird managed to calm the panicked vixen down and Rango straightened himself up, Angelique told the group that a rattlesnake had broken into the Town Hall and was still inside. Rango was skeptical about there even being a snake in the building, considering the fact that the only rattlesnake in the general area was Rattlesnake Jake. But, the chameleon decided to humor Angelique and see this new rattler for himself. Now, as stared up at the very real rattlesnake, he was seriously regretting his decision. Remembering how his first meeting with Jake went, Rango braced himself for the worste. So when this unknown snake bent down to his level and asked him if he was hurt, needless to say, Rango was confused.

"Uh… no… I'm fine," the chameleon replied choppily, "And you miss-uh?"

"Luna. Luna Grimmore, _mon ami_ ," the snake replied in a thick cajun accent, "And, I'm fine. Why you askin?

This snake was definitely nothing Jake, that much was obvious. For one thing, this snake was a female and had a slimmer, but still muscular, body. She sported wheat/tan brown scales with a chocolate and black diamondback pattern, that tapered off into black and white rings with dark-brown speckling near her rattle. She was wearing a well-worn white hat and had, what looked like, yellow lensed aviator goggles over her eyes. On her back was some-kind-of saddle bag/rucksack and a gun scabbard made from, what looked like, gator skin. Whoever this "Luna" girl was, she definitely wasn't from around here. And that wasn't just because of her looks and the way she was dressed. The way she talked and acted was new to him, too. She spoke to Rango in such a warm and friendly way that anyone might think they were neighbors.

"Uh, the name's Rango. Sheriff Rango," the chameleon said as he stood up and brushed himself off, "Sooooo, may I be so bold to ask, as to why you broke into the Town Hall last night?"

At hearing this, the rattlesnake recoiled in shock. She certainly was not expecting him to say that.

"Broke in?! Oh n-n-n-no, iz nothin like dat," the snake exclaimed, "I was just lookin for a place to get out da rain. The door was opan so, I let maself in. I didn't mean ta cause any trouble."

"Oh, no trouble Miss Grimmore," Rango replied, putting his hands up to calm the serpent down, "Though you did give Miss Angelique, here, a real scare."

" _Pardonnez-moi Mademoiselle_ ," the snake said as she slithered over to the vixen, " _Je ne voulais pas vous faire peur_. _Je cherchais juste un endroit pour rester jusqu'à ce que la dernière tempête_. _J'espère que vous pouvez pardonner mes bonnes manières_."

" _Oui_ , _je te pardonne_ ," the vixen replied in a, surprisingly, calm voice, " _J'étais juste surpris de vous voir, c'est tout._ _Pas de mal pas de faute_ , _mon cher_ …"

Before Rango knew it, Luna and Angelique were having a full blown conversation… in french! Just who was this snake and what the hell was she doing here? But before he could say anything, a loud rumbling sound reached his ears. The conversation between Angelique and Luna had stopped immediately and a light blush spread across the lady snakes face.

"Heh-heh, sorry about dat," Luna chuckled sheepishly, "Uh, none of youse would know where I could get some food, would ya?"

* * *

About an hour later… inside the Town Hall…

After the brief misunderstanding, and a little grocery shopping, Rango, Wounded Bird, and the rest of the gang were being treated to a hot meal, courtesy of Luna Grimmore. Judging from the heavenly aroma and humming coming from the kitchen, Luna was more than happy to be of service.

"Really, Miss Grimmore, ya don't have ta do this," Waffles said, even though his mouth was watering, "If anything, we're the ones who should be making you a meal."

"Eh, it's no biggie," Luna said as she poked her head out of the kitchen, "Besides I'm already done."

"Food smells good," Wounded Bird chimed in, "What did you make?"

"A cajun specialty called 'Dirty Rice'," Luna responed cheerfully, "Believe me, dis is the good stuff."

Saying that, Luna came out of the kitchen with a steaming skillet filled with rice, beans, vegetables and sausage. The smell was absolutely heaven! Best off all, it tasted just as good as it looked. All through the meal the various creatures talked about what was going on and what they were doing, all except Luna that it. After the meal, Priscilla headed home, Waffles went back to the Sheriffs Office and Angelique took her position outside, what used to be, the Mayors Office. Rango and Wounded bird on the other hand, needed to have a talk with their serpentine guest.

"Again Ms. Grimmore, we're sorry for the mix-up,"Rango said as he closed the doors of the Mayors Office, "It's just, most snakes round these parts aren't exactly… the most friendly of types."

"Sawl right, _shérif_ ," Luna replied, "And please, call me Luna. Miss Grimmore's my mamas name."

"OK then, Miss Luna," the chameleon paused, "If you don't mind me asking, what brought you to our sleepy little town?"

There was an awkward silence. Luna visibly shrunk back slightly and bowed her head. It was a stark contrast to the snake they were talking to before. It was obvious that Rango had brought up a very uncomfortable subject.

"Please Miss Grimmor-I mean-Miss Luna, here me out," Rango said trying to put the snake at ease, "I've just met you, but I can tell right away that you're not the type who'd cause trouble for no reason. But I can also tell that you've got a big chip on your shoulder. So, if you're in some kind of trouble then maybe we can help. But we can't do anything unless you tell us."

"Well, ya see," the snake stuttered, "It's…kind of a long story."

"We have time," Wounded Bird cut out as he grabbed a chair.

Luna's head hung even lower at the ravens words. She turned her back to the sheriff and his deputy and remained silent. She knew she wasn't going to get out of this and, even if she did, these two would keep badgering her until they got answers. Letting out a sigh, Luna removed her hat and turned back to the two lawmen.

"Where do ya want me to begin," Luna asked the sheriff and his deputy.

"For starters, what is a snake from the bayou doing all the way out in the middle of the Mojave Desert," Rango said calmly as he leaned against a wall.

"Alright," the lady snake said with a sigh, "If ya must know, I'm looking for someone. Well, looking for someone who can help me find someone else."

"Please elaborate," Wounded Bird cut out politely.

Another pause came over the room before Luna spoke again, "It was a few months ago, back in Tess-Louian(Tex-Louisan)... Jason McCreed, my oldest friend, ran off after causing some trouble at my momma's hotel. Next morning we went to his home to look for him only to find wife, Lily, beaten within an inch of her life and barely hanging on…" Luna stopped, tears starting to form in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, the rattlesnake collected herself and continued her story, "I'd known Jay for years, so I just couldn't believe dat he'd do something like dis for no reason."

"So you started looking for him," Rango asked calmly.

"Damn fucking straight, if you'll pardon my french," Luna cursed, "I put the word out dat I was looking for McCreed and I would pay top-dollar if the information was credible. After about three months a nothin dis gopher comes into my mama's hotel and says dat he not only saw Jay, but dat he talked to him too.. De gopher claimed dat Jay was headin to some town New Mexico for some kind of job and even showed me a locket, dat the guy claimed, Jay had dropped. It was the real deal, too. So, I got the name of the town Jay was headin to, paid the gopher and headed out."

"But he wasn't there, was he," Wounded Bird said as her rubbed his leg.

"No, he wasn't," Luna replied solemnly, "By the time I got to Las Cruces, Jason was gone again. I asked around but couldn't find anyone or anything dat could tell me where he went. Just as I was about to head home, something hit me. I remembered dat Jay said the Mojave was his old stompin grounds, before he settled in Tex-Louisan."

"But, you said you were 'looking for someone who could help you find someone'," Rango quoted in confusion, "What did you mean by that?"

"McCreed told me dat he ran with some outlaw snake, every-so-often, when he lived out here," Luna said, perking her head up a bit, "I thought if I could find dis outlaw friend of his…"

"Then you find Jason," Wounded Bird cut in, "Or, maybe find out where Jason might be hiding."

"Pretty much, _podna_ ," Luna said to the old raven.

"So who exactly is this 'friend' yer lookin for," Rango asked.

"I've never met'im face-to-face," Luna replied, "But I do know dat the guy goes byㅡ, 'BANG'!"

* * *

 **Cajun phrases and translations**

 **Dis: This**

 **Dat: That**

 **Podna: Friend**

 **Cunja: A curse**

 **Oh ye yi: OUCH**

 **Passe a slap: I'm going to slap you**

 **Chere: A term of endearment**

 **For French translations, See Google.**


	3. Chapter 3: Hello Boys

**I do not own Rango or its franchise.**

Chapter 3: "Hello Boys"

The doors to the mayor's office flung open and banged against the wall. Behind said doors, Waffles leaned against the doorframe and gasped for breath.

"She… she… sherif," Waffles wheezed, "You gotta… he's at… quickly…Phweeu…"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down Waffles," Rango said as he held up his hands, "Now, take a deep breath, and tell us what happened."

"'Wheeze'… It's Bad Bill and his boys," Waffles said in a worried tone, "They're at it again."

"What is it this time, Waffles," Rango said as he shook his head in his palm.

"Uh, they threw Buford out of the Gas Can Saloon," Waffles said pointing his finger towards the Town Halls entrance, "And now they're wrecking the place."

"Goh, for the love of God, again,"Rango exclaimed stomping towards the door, "C'mon Bird, time to go to work."

Once he exited the room, Rango facepalmed as he had forgotten about his new serpentine guest. Turning in said serpents direction, the chameleon let out a sigh.

"Sorry about this Ms. Luna," Rango said tipping his hat, "Can we continue our conversation later? Wounded Bird and I need to take care of this before it gets worse."

"Mind if I tag along," Luna asked calmly, "I might be able to help. Besides, I need some exercise after all dat 'Dirty Rice'."

"Snake could help," Wounded Bird said calmly, "Might even scare Bad Bill away."

"Well… I guess a little back-up can't hurt,"Rango said cautiously, "But I have to warn you Ms. Luna, snakes in general aren't well liked round here. And with you being a rattlesnake, well…"

"Don't worry about me _Shérif_ ," Luna replied solemnly, "I've dealt with worse back home. Believe me, I can handle myself."

"'Sigh'… If you say so," Rango replied before turning back to his partner, "Let's go Bird. ."

* * *

As Luna followed Rango and Wounded Bird down the dusty streets of Mud, she could see the various townsfolk running and ducking for cover. The trio were about halfway to the saloon when Luna felt a knot forming in her stomach. Feeling the eyes of the townsfolk on her, Luna couldn't help the shiver that ran up her spine. It wasn't the mocking or cruel stares of bullies that tormented her as a child. But it wasn't the holier-than-thou and judgemental glares of superstitious morons that saw her, and still see her, as a bad omen. No, these eyes were eyes she knew all too well. For she had these same eyes not to long ago. Fear…

"Rango wasn't kiddin about 'snakes not being liked' around here," Luna mumbled to herself.

"You say somethin Ms. Luna," Rango asked, turning his head back to face her.

"Nothing important," Luna chirped calmly.

"Don't take the actions of the townsfolk personally," Wounded Bird chimed in, "They have always feared snakes. It is all they know."

"Point taken," Luna replied. She stayed silent for a moment, then quickly changed the subject, "So Rango, who's dis 'Bad Bill' Waffles mentioned? Something I should be worried about?"

"Bad Bill is a big headache," Wounded Bird said shaking his head.

"Uuuuhhh, what does dat mean," Luna asked, tilting her head the side.

"What Bird means is that Bad Bill and his boys have been causing trouble for a years," Rango chuckled nervously, "Vandalism, assault and battery, petty theft, the list goes on."

"Then why aren't they behind bars," Luna asked, "I mean, if they've been causing trouble for years, why haven't you locked them up and thrown away the key by now?"

"For one, most of the crimes those hooligans committed don't involve serious jail time," Rango said matter-o-factly, "Second, they've all served their time, so after that there's nothing else we can do. Third, they never learn. Bill and his boys are career criminals and, as long as they're getting paid, they'll keep at it. Finally, the only place we got to hold em is the jail in the sheriff's office. We-uh… don't have anything bigger… "

"Yeesh, their dat much trouble" Luna cringed, "How many times have they caused trouble?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure," Rango responded, falling back next to the lady serpent, "Ya see, I've only been acting sheriff for about a year now andㅡ 'CRASH'!"

* * *

A chair crashing through a window caught the trio's attention. While Rango and Wounded Bird rushed up to the metallic corner building, Luna slowly slithered up and took in the scene before her goggled eyes. If Luna had to hazard a guess, that was the Gas Can Saloon. There were at least a dozen male animals outside, all of them trying to peek inside the building without getting hit in the head by anything that came flying out. Inside Luna could hear raucous laughter and shouting from at least four different people, along with breaking glass and thuds from wooden objects. Turning her attention back to Rango and Bird, Luna noticed the duo kneeling next to a greenish-looking toad in a pin-striped vest and dirty slacks. The toad was clutching his head with one hand and, frankly, he wasn't looking good. The toad had a black and swollen eye, a bloody lip and, to top it all off, three nasty looking grey/black knots on the top of his head.

"Old man alive, them boys worked you over good," she said in the toads direction, " _Monsieur_ Buford, I presume?"

The toad was visibly shaken at the sight of her. Then again all the critters, with the exception of Rango and Wounded Bird, outside the Saloon were petrified at seeing the lady rattler. Shaking her head with a sigh, Luna returned her attention to the battered toad.

"You need a doctor," she asked the toad.

"Uh… Um, no, I'm fine," Buford replied in surprise, "But thank you for your concern Miss, eh…"

The serpent could see the fear in the toads bulging eyes. Her body tensed slightly, so slight that only the keenest of eyes would be able to notice. She hated these stare's. How they made her feel. But now was not the time for any that. Right now she had to get a couple of party crazy morons outside and under control, before someone got hurt. Steeling herself, Luna took a deep breath and gave a polite smile in the toads direction.

"Luna," the serpent replied calmly before focusing on Rango, "So _shérif_ , any ideas on how many are inside?"

"Ugh, how… many," Rango repeated in confusion.

"Four," Buford grunted, getting to his feet, "Bad Bill, Kinski, Stump and Chorizo are all in there."

"They armed," Luna asked in a serious tone.

"No," Buford retorted, "Saloon policy. 'All patrons must empty, or surrender, their guns before they can be served alcohol'."

All at once, a mischievous grin spread across Luna's lips. An evil idea was forming in her serpentine mind. She remembered a trick her mother used, every so often, to throw out-of-control drunks out of the hotel. It involved strength, quick and precise movements, stamina and a little live bait. This was gonna be good…

"Uuuuhhh, you alright Ms. Luna," Rango asked, concern plastered on his face.

"Dat depends _shérif_ ," Luna grinned darkly, "How fast can you get those _couillions_ outside?"

* * *

Inside the saloon, Bad Bill and his boys were having a grand-ol-time. The jackrabbit twins, Stump and Kinski, were throwing things at each other and laughing about it like a couple of idiots. Chorizo and Bad Bill, on the other hand, decided to have a drinking contest and were drinking all the hard liquor they could get their hands on. It was pure chaos! But then, an all-too-familiar voice from outside caught the gila monsters attention.

"Biiiiill," the voice rang out, "You in there, Bill? Biiiill!"

"Damn it all," Bill gruffed in his english accent as he smashed an empty whiskey bottle on the floor, "It's that God-damn sheriff again!"

Hearing the gila's words, the other outlaws turned towards Bill and froze in place, literally. Stump and Kinski were standing in front of each other with their wooden weapons, a pair of bar stools, stopped mid-swing while Chorizo stood leaning back against the bar and holding a bottle of whiskey above his head while contents of sed bottle pouring into his mouth, only to spill out onto the floor like a waterfall. Soon enough Bill had stormed up to the broken window, hugging the wall as he looked outside. Chorizo joined Bill, hugging the wall just like Bill did, while Stump and Kinski went to the undamaged window and peaked through the shutters. Sure enough, the outlaws could see the skinny sheriff alone in the dusty street. Then, Rango called out again.

"Hey Bill," the chameleon shouted, "I know you're in there, Bill."

"Quit your yelling Sheriff,"Bill yelled back, "What do ya want?"

"You're all under arrest," Rango ordered, "Surrender peacefully and no one else has to get hurt."

"Ha, you've lost your marbles Rango," Bill yelled back, "In case you haven't noticed, there are four of us and only one o you."

"That's not how I see it, Bill," Rango yelled, dead calm in his voice, "Way I see it, it's me against four drunken varmints that are to yellow to settle things like men."

Silence. That's all the outlaws could hear. That, and the breeze outside. Stump, Kinski and Chorizo just stood there with their mouths hanging open. Disbelief was evident on their faces as they stared out at the, surprisingly brazen, chameleon. But Bill was far from shocked. He was mad, and anyone who saw him could tell. A deep growl escaped his scaly lips and his tightly balled fists were shaking as a a fire burned deep in his belly. No one calls him a coward and gets away with it.

"Let's go boys," Bill said in a deep menacing tone, "Time to teach that fucking sheriff a lesson."

* * *

Rango was shaking. He could not believe he just said that. To "Bad Bill" of all people! What was he thinking!? Casting a glance down an alleyway Rango could see a certain lady rattler pressed against the side of a building, ready to pounce. How did he get suckered into being "live bait"? Just as he was about to bolt, the doors of the saloon swung open. Bad Bill and his boys were heading straight for him. Making another quick glance in Luna's direction, Rango saw the lady rattler give him a wink. Alright, time to milk this for all it's worth.

"So, you boys come ta turn yourselves in," Rango asked, doing his best not to show any fear.

Once he was within arms reach of the chameleon, the Bill grabbed Rango by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. Even as he dangled in the air, Rango refused to show the gila monster just how scared he was. But what was obvious to Rango, was that Bill was mad as hell and then some.

"Shut up Rango," Bill growled, "You got a lot a balls calling us out like that."

"Cmon Bill," Kinski chimed in, "Let me have a go first."

"No way amigo," Chorizo argued, "It's my turn for the first punch"

While the outlaws continued to argue, Rango cast a glance to where Luna was supposed to be. Only to see, she wasn't there! Where did she go?! Then, some movement caught his attention. Rango couldn't help but grin at what was sneaking up behind the four outlaws. Oh, this was going to be good.

"Hey, whatcha grinnin at sheriff," Bill gruffed.

"You'd better put me down Bill," Rango said calmly, "Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens next."

Bill just laughed at the chameleon. He must have thought the chameleon was bluffing.

"You hearing this boys," Bill chuckled cruely, "Rango wants me to put him down. Whatcha going to do, lawman? Shoot me?"

All at once, a rattle sounded behind the four outlaws. All of four of them went white as a sheet at hearing the sound. Then, came a voice…

"It's not him that you should be worried about," said a husky, feminine voice.

Shaking in place, the four outlaws slowly turned around. But the sight that greeted their eyes made their blood run cold. Behind them, was a gigantic diamond-back rattlesnake. Then the snake bent down. Coming face to face with the four outlaws, the lady rattler gave a cheshire cat grin, flashing her venomous ivory fangs.

In a sweet, husky voice she hissed, " _Hello Boys_."

All at once, Stump, Kinski, Chorizo and Bad Bill started screaming. Almost instantly, Bill dropped Rango flat on his ass and ran off, the rest of his gang following close behind. As the four rounded a corner the outlaws slammed into one another, desperate to get away from the lady rattlesnake. As for Rango, he just got up and dusted himself off. Casting a glance to where Bill and his boys ran off, the chameleon couldn't help but chuckle at the outcome. He had no idea an adult male could scream that loud and that high at the same time. All at once, a snort caught Rangos attention. Turning toward the sound, the chameleon could see the the rattlesnake slumped in disappointment.

"Well, dat was anticlimactic," she bit out sharply, "And here I thought I was gonna get some early morning exercise."

"Aw, don't worry about it Miss Grimmo一," Rango stopped for a second before correcting himself, "I mean, Miss Luna. Things don't stay quiet in Mud for long."


	4. Chapter 4: Trouble Brewing

Chapter 4: Trouble Brewing

Somewhere in the Mojave desert…

5 candles lit a dark wooden room. Yet, there was a buzz in the air. A dangerous excitement as a group of shadowy figures quietly talked amongst themselves. There were five in total. Three of them were sitting on an old ratty looking rug playing cards, while another one was playing darts with knives. But one of them was sitting alone at a worn, dusty table with deep gashes in the wood while smoking a cigar. On the table was a set of photographs featuring serpentine figures wearing cowboy hats. All at once, a wooden door opened up, letting in a blinding orange light as another cloaked figure burst into the room.

"Dammit Luke," cursed a deep masculine voice, with a cigar in his mouth, "How many times have I told ya to knock before comin in?!"

"Uh, sorry Boss," panted the newcomer, as he slammed the door behind him.

"Well now, you're outta breath boy," said an older craggily voice, "Did ya run all the way here?"

"Y-yeah, I just got word from an informant," the boy called Luke gasped, "Our target is on the move."

"Target," the Boss growled in annoyance, "Which one?"

"That cajun kid," Luke said shakily, "She's here… in the Mojave!"

"What the hell's that girlie doin all the way out here," yelled the old craggily voice as he tossed his cards on the rug, "Last we heard, she was in New Mexico."

"Who cares," the Boss said calmly, "The main thing is that she's here, outta her element, and without a friend in the world. So Luke, any idea where she's headin'."

"Uh一yeah," Luke said nervously, "My informant said she was heading for Vegas. Something about 'finding an old friend of an old friend', or something like that."

"Heh-heh, looks like Lady Luck's on our side now," the Boss bellowed as he took a long drag from his cigar, "As it so happens, a 'acquaintance' of mine lives out that way."

As the Boss figure gathered up the black and white photographs, the six other cloaked figures came close to see what was on them. The boss then pulled out two photographs and dealt them on the table like a pair of cards. One of the pictures portrayed a young rattlesnake with a droopy, wide-brim hat and goggles, brandishing a customised 1903 Winchester rifle. But when the group glanced at the second photo, their blood instantly ran cold. Displayed on the smooth, inky paper was a figure that all creatures of the desert feared.

"Caine, you ain't bein serious are ya," said a feminine voice, "A little girl far from home is one thing but一."

"Have you lost your flea-bitten mind," shouted another deeper feminine voice, as she slammed her gloved hands on the table before stabbing a finger at the offending picture, "You do know who that is, don't ya!? We tangle with him and we all gonna wind up six feet under!"

"Don't worry, don't worry," the Boss replied calmly, drawing a bowie knife from his cloak. Taking the cigar from his mouth he ground it into the picture of the goggle wearing rattlesnake, watching as is smoldered and burned. "First we take care of Grimmore," Caine said calmly, before plunging the knife into the other photo, "Then we'll pay the Devil a visit. We play our cards right, and we'll get to live the rest of our lives as royalty…"

* * *

Meanwhile… Back in Mud…

After the incident with Bad Bill, Rango and Wounded Bird decided to take Luna on a tour of the town. Frankly, she was impressed at the place. The town was small, but had a lot of charm and character. The people were wary of her, but they seemed like nice folks, all the same. During the tour, she relaxed a bit and even chewed the fat with a few locals. But, as the group came back to the town hall, Luna found herself thinking about Jason. The dream she had last night left a deep pit of dread in her gut, and it wasn't getting any better. All at once, Rango's words caught her attention.

"So, have you thought about it Miss Luna," Rango asked as he looked up at the lady snake, "Uh… Miss Luna?"

"S-sorry, wha'd ya say," Luna replied, coming back to reality.

"I was asking you if you found a place to stay while you're here," Rango clarified.

"Oh… oh, uh… I, uh," Luna stuttered, "I was thinkin' I'd just camp out while I was here."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Rango replied calmly, "They're few and far between but, thanks to the lake, birds of prey tend to fly over Mud every so often." Raising his arm, Rango pointed his finger down the street. Following the direction of the skinny digit, Luna could see the glittering surface of the water in the distance. "Bout a year ago, we didn't have the lake and the only bird of prey near town suddenly died," Rango said calmly, "But then, after the lake formed, different birds of prey started coming in for the water. So far, they've only stayed long enough to drink their fill, but…"

"Townsfolk have stayed inside whenever the birds came around," Wounded Bird cut out, "It would be good for you to stay inside."

"Uh, Bird," Rango started, "Where's she gonna stay? I don't think the hotel has a room big enough to house a lady of Ms. Luna's… stature."

As Rango and Wounded Bird bantered about the rattlers living arrangements, Luna drifted off into her own thoughts. She hated to admit it, but Wounded Bird was right. Everywhere she looked it was flat and open desert, not a speck of cover for miles. If she were back home in the bayou, it would be a whole 'nother story. 'Back in the bayou, all I had ta do was look round and I could find a hidin spot,' she thought to herself, 'But out here I'm completely exposed. What am I gonna do?' All at once, Rango's voice snapped her back to reality.

"I've got it," the sheriff exclaimed, pointing at the town hall, "The town hall, it's perfect!"

Luna and wounded bird just stared at the chameleon. Luna started because she had no idea what the man was talking about and was completely lost on where the topic of discussion had gone. While Wounded Bird just stared at him believing that the lawman had finally lost his mind. Rango seemed to sense this because he almost immediately launched into one of his overly exaggerated explanations.

"Well, you see, Miss Grimmore," Rango started in his forced southern drawl, "Most of the buildings around here, the hotel included, are not equipped to handle a lady of your, eh… stature. However the town hall just might be big enough a place for you to bunk down while yer stayin' here, that is if I can clear things with Miss Angelique."

"Oh, I don't want to be a bother to Monsieur shérif," Luna said politely.

"Now, now Miss Grimmore, I insist," Rango persisted as he started to lead her toward the buildings' entrance, "I know yer probably not used to these kinds of accommodations, but I can assure you that the place is plenty big enough for you to stay here. Since you've already made a home for yer'self in the mayors office those can be your sleeping quarters."

"Oh no, please, I couldn't Mr. Rango," Luna desperately insisted, "I wouldn't want to cause the mayor any trouble…"

"Nothing to worry about," Rango continued on as he entered the building and began walking up the stairs, "Since we don't have a mayor any more, the office is rarely being used. All I would be asking is that you keep the place tidy and to lock up when you go out, so none of your belongings go missing."

"Please Monsieur shérif," Luna replied, almost beggingly, as she followed the sheriff, "I don't want to cause any trouble for anyone."

"Oh yer not causing any trouble at all," Rango said as he approached Angeliques desk, "Oh, Miss Angelique. Just the lady I've been wanting to talk to."

"What iz it zis time shérif," the vixen replied in her french accent.

"Oh, if it's alright with you," the chameleon replied calmly, "Miss Grimmore here would like to stay in the mayor's office while she's in town. The hotel isn't big enough to house her and…"

"W-wait a second," Luna interrupted, "I never said anything about wanting to stay here!…"

"Really," Rango replied questioningly, oblivious to the current situation, "But it's, by far, the best room in the whole building." Rango then flung the doors of the mayors office open and continued talking, while gesturing to the different parts of the room, "Just take a look at these high ceilings. And over there behind the desk, a beautiful stained glass window. The room also gets plenty of natural light, and has a fireplace for those occasionally chilly desert nights. But I think the best part of the room is the balcony," Rango said as he moved opened a pair of dusty glass paned doors that led out to a wooden balcony, "Up here, you can look over the center of town. You get a great view of the lake, too. And don't get me started on the sunsets…"

"Speaking of the lake," Bird interrupted, "Why not use it to clean up?"

The rattlesnake and chameleon stopped, clearly confused by what the old ravens words. Wounded Bird just shook his head with a sigh before saying, "Snake seems to be caked in mud."

At hearing his words Luna sharply coiled backwards trying to look at her scales. He was right! She was covered from head to tail in mud! Had she been going around town like this all day?!

"That was mud," Rango thought aloud, "I thought that was just yer natural color."

"Aw man," Luna replied sheepishly, "I knew I got soaked from the rain last night, but I didn't realize I got caked, too! "

"Don't worry Ms. Luna," Rango said, trying to calm the young snake, "How about you go down to the lake and clean up, then meet us back here when yer done?"

"Don't need to tell me twice shérif," Luna grumbled, before turning and whispering to Wounded Bird, "Thanks for the help Mon Ami. I owe ya."

"You looked like you needed a rescue," Wounded Bird whispered in reply.

* * *

A few minutes later, Luna was at the lake and was already hard at work scrubbing the pale, dried mud from her scales. She had managed to find herself a more secluded area of the lake that had a small outcropping of rocks for privacy, and had removed her hat and goggles before hand. Already she was seeing results. The splotchy, sun-bleached mud had started melting away to reveal gold colored scales. Before she knew it, not a trace of dirt was left on her hide. As she slithered out of the water, Luna couldn't help but stare at her own reflection. In the light of the setting sun her scales seemed to glow like hundreds of tarnished gold rings. Her diamonds had chocolate brown centers with onyx black borders, and were framed by a row of pearl-white scales. The diamonds in Lunas hide were sharply defined, making it look like her pattern was made by a stencil. But then, as her gaze worked it's way up to her face, a scowl spread across her serpentine lips. Quick as she could, Luna threw on her hat and goggles before slithering back to the Town Hall.

The young serpent was consumed by her thoughts. Jumbled visions flashed through her mind and distant sounds echoed in her ears. The Dusty streets faded away, and once again she was back in the bar lounge of her mamas' hotel. She could see the liquor bottles shatter as they hit the floor. She could hear the thundering boom of gunshots. The wood from the bartop splintering as it was struck by buckshot, the sound of screams and panicking creatures fleeing in chaos. But the image that flashed through her mind the most… was Jason. She could see his silhouette in the doorway, lit by the setting sun. She could smell the burnt gunpowder from the shotgun shells. The scene kept playing over and over again. Then, a sudden sharp, stabbing, pain brought her back to the present.

"YEEEOUCH!," Luna exclaimed as something sharp fell on her back. Almost immediately, the lady rattler raised up and started throwing her serpentine body around in the dusty street, like a rodeo bull, trying to throw off whatever sharp thing was stabbing her. Then, a strange yell reached her ears. It seemed to come closer then move far away, almost like it was going around on one of those spinning rides at a carnival. And strangely enough, the voice seemed familiar.

"MIIIiiiiIIIs LUUuuuNAAaaAAA," the voice went, "PLEEEeeAASE LEEeet MeeEE DOoooWWwn! IiiI'MM GONAaaA BeeEe SiiiiIIIIck!"

And just like that, Luna stopped. Turning around, to look at her back, she could not believe who it was. It was Waffles of all people! The little guy was stuck tight to one of her diamonds, literally! Waffles had dug his claws deep into Lunas' scaley hide and was holding on for dear life, with his spike covered head pressed tightly against her serpentine body. But upon closer inspection, Luna could've sworn that the normally yellow looking thorny lizard was starting to turn green. Looks like she went a little bit overboard, with the jumping and thrashing. It was about that time that Luna also noticed some of the townsfolk staring at her. Realizing what a scene she caused, the young rattlesnake couldn't help but blush, before turning her attention back to the poor thorny lizard.

"Hey, uh," Luna started sheepishly, "You okay chere?"

Waffles looked up at her, and it was obvious that he was not feeling to good. Luna could see that his limbs were shaking and he was having a hard time keeping his body steady. The poor guys was slowly swinging back and forth like a clock pendulum and Luna could have sworn that his eye's had swirls in them. But the main thing that had her worried, was that his coloring was way off. Waffles face was a sickening green, while the rest of his body seemed to be a very pale yellow. All at once, she heard the thudding of footsteps coming towards her. Turning to her right, Luna could see Sherif Rango and Wounded Bird running towards her. But, once they got close, their gaze went from her to the, now pale green, thorny lizard laying limp on one of her raised coils.

"You, uh, still alive up there Waffles," Rango said calmly.

"Ug, yeaah, 'BMF'," the thorny lizard replied, putting his clawed hand over his mouth to keep himself from throwing up, "I never knew ya had any, 'BLG', kin out here sherif. They all look like ya…"

"Okay tough guy," Rango said with a pitying smirk, shaking his head, "Let's get you over to Doc's and get you checked out."

* * *

Later that evening… In the Town Hall…

Luna gazed out at the town of Mud from the balcony of the Mayor's office. The last of the suns' golden rays were disappearing on the desert's horizon and, to her eyes, the scene was breathtaking. The ground was a soft lilac color and the occasional cactus seemed to turn black from the light of the setting sun. The lake was dark but the waves seemed to glitter like jewels. But what was most amazing to her was the sky, it alone was a work of art. The horizon was gold and orange with a tinge of daylight blue that spread out only to vanish into darkness. The bottoms of the desert clouds turned pink and orange and while the tops were dark blue. But as the sun set further and further from view, the colors seemed to change.

The golden light and colorful clouds disappeared leaving a thin veil of blue daylight, while the light of the moon grew ever brighter. The lilac landscape faded into a sea of dark blue as the darkness of night creeped ever closer. Soon enough, sky was blanketed with stars and the moon was shining brightly on the darkened landscape. Luna was glad she got to see this. Taking a big breath of the cool night air, she let out a sigh and went back , she had lit a fire in the fireplace and settled herself near the offices desk. In front of her was a, fairly, large piece of paper and a plastic pen. Now came the one task she promised to do everytime she got settled into a new place. Write a letter to mother…

* * *

Letter…

Dear Mother,

I hope you and that bunch of knuckle-headed coullions back home are doing well. I'm sorry I haven't written back home in a while, but I've been busy tracking down Jason. He wasn't in Las Cruces, but I think I've got a lead. I heard he was friends with someone called "Mojave Devil". Whoever this "Devil" is, they might know something that could help me find him.

But for right now, I'm in the Mojave Desert, in a little old-western town called Mud. The folks seem nice. A little spooky, but nice all the same. Unfortunately, this old-western town comes with some old-western problems. My first day here, and I've already met some of the local scum. More specifically, a Gila monster named "Bad Bill" and his gang. But, thankfully there was no trouble. I also met Sheriff Rango and his deputy, Wounded Bird. You won't believe this, but the sheriff is a chameleon! 10/01 says that the poor guy was a pet that got stranded out here. Wounded Bird, on the other hand, is an old old raven with a bum leg. He kind of reminds me of Mama Lou, in terms of how patient he is with Rango pretending to be a tough-guy lawman.

I also met a thorny lizard named Waffles. He seems nice enough, but he talks and acts almost like a child. I find it kind of adorable. Unfortunately, I wound up giving the poor guy the ride of his life. To make a long story short, Waffles fell on top of me from a balcony ledge and accidently stuck his thorns in me. As a result, I turned into a bucking bronco and the poor guy turned green. He was so sick to his stomach that Rango said we had to take him to Docs. Unfortunately, Doc wasn't any help at all. As it turned out, the guy was passed out drunk on one of the patient beds! But we found a solution, ice cold water to the head. Thankfully, Waffles is going to be okay. He just has to spend the night at Docs and sleep of the nausea and dizziness. Unfortunately, I didn't escape the event unscathed.

As it turned out, Waffles spines had dug deeper into my hide than I realized. So now I've got to wear a bandage on my back for a few days. Doc says there won't be a scar though. Not that I can take his word for it, considering he was still drunk… But that's not important. The main thing that I want you know is that I'm settled in and have a place to stay while I'm here. With any luck, I'll find the Mojave Devil and get some information. Wish me luck.

Love,

Luna

P.S. Please try not to tell the boys where I am. You know they'll only cause trouble.

* * *

With the letter finished, Luna gently folded the paper and sealed it in an envelope before giving it to Angelique, as she left for the night. Back in "her room", Luna placed some more logs on the fire before looking around again. It was strange. She'd never been so far away from home for so long, and yet… yet… Well she couldn't put her tail on it, but for some strange reason she didn't feel homesick anymore. She'd only been here a day, and already she felt like she was at home. Maybe because, despite the extremely different locations, it was just as chaotic here as it is back home. She decided to leave those thoughts for another day, and coiled up for the night. She had a long day tomorrow, and needed to get started bright and early.

With that thought in mind, the young rattlesnake drifted off to sleep. Blissfully unaware of the coming storm, that would change her life forever.


	5. Chapter 5: (Almost) Backyard Barbecue

Chapter 5: (Almost) Backyard Barbecue

It was early morning when Luna woke up. Like before, she stretched herself and got ready for the day before heading downstairs to make breakfast. But since she wasn't cooking for a group, she just made some roadrunner eggs-over-easy and some stir-fry veggies. Her belly full, she went outside only to be greeted by a dull thud to her middle as she slithered outside. Looking down, she was greeted by the sight of Miss Angelique knocked flat on her rear.

"Mes excuses Mme Angelique," Luna spoke in french as she slithered around to help the vixen up.

"Oh ne vous inquiétez pas Luna," Angelique replied with a chuckle, "But you really should stop meeting people like zis."

All at once, a commotion up the street caught the rattlesnakes attention. Moving out into the street, Luna could see three or four townsfolk in front of a building saddling up a few roadrunners. Suddenly, her internal alarm kick in. Have you ever gotten that feeling that told you, "Something's wrong", "Danger", or "Trouble's coming"? For some, it's a feeling of dread settling in the pit of their stomach. Others, it's a cold chill running up their spine. For Luna, it was a strange vibration that ran from icy-cold to boiling-hot and raced up and down her spine like an electric shock. And right now, that tell-tale cold to hot electric vibration was telling her that something was up, and that it was about to get worse.

"Angelique," Luna asked in a serious tone, cocking her head in the direction of the roadrunners, "Wha's goin on over der?"

Angelique followed the serpents gesture, then said casually, "Ze shérif is heading to Mademoiselle Beans' ranch. One of ze ranch hands came into town and said that one of ze fences broke. Now, all of ze Mademoiselle's beasts are out and about."

The vibrations in Luna's spine became even more intense. So much so, that her tail gave a slight rattle. Then, in an even more serious tone, she asked, "When they leaving?"

"A few minutes," Angelique answered, in a puzzled tone, "Why are you asking about一..."

Luna then bolting upstairs, leaving a stunned and confused Angelique outside. In the former Mayor's office Luna began rummaging through her saddle bags, trying to find something. She soon pulled out a pair of multi-pouch bandoliers made from some kind of reptile skin, both of which looked full to bursting. Fast as she could, Luna fastened the bandoliers around her, before slipping on her gun scabbard and racing back downstairs. She nearly ran into Angelique again, who had moved from outside the town hall to inside, down at the base of the staircase. Luna managed to stop herself and skirt around the startled vixen, before making her way to the door. But once she was inside the doorframe, Luna stopped. She poked her head outside and saw that the sheriff and his group hadn't left yet, before turning back towards Angelique.

"Listen Angelique," Luna said in a serious tone, "I'm gonna head out with the sheriff and his boys. Could ya lock up my room while I'm out?"

"W-What," Angelique said, completely slack jawed, "W-Why?!"

"I'll explain when I get back," the serpent said as she waved her tail goodbye, "See ya soon Angelique!"

* * *

A short while later…

Rango was completely lost. Not "lost" in terms of direction or navigation. He'd been to Beans's ranch plenty of times and knew the way by heart, at least he thought he did. No, he was "lost" as in how to feel about the current situation. One minute, he was in town saddling up his roadrunner along with Wounded Bird, Waffles and Beans's young banded gecko ranch hand. The next thing he knew, Luna comes up to him out of nowhere, asks what's going on and how she can help. And now, here he was out in the middle of the Mojave with a small posse racing to Beans' Ranch, and a young rattlesnake tagging along with him. Rango still had no idea how the young serpent managed to convince them all to let her come along, or what he was going to tell Beans once they got to her ranch.

"Are we going to fast for ya Miss Grimmore," Rango shouted from his roadrunner, as he looked back at a certain gold colored serpent in goggles.

"I'm fine shérif," Luna replied loudly, barely breaking her slithering stride, "It's a lot easier than moving through swamp grass or summer muck… So, dis 'Beans' lady…What she like?"

"Beans is a nice lady," Waffles said loudly, almost shouting, "Honest and tough, too. But she's mostly nice."

"Uh, what Waffles is trying to say, is that Beans has lived out here all her life," Rango replied, "From what she told me, it use ta be just her and her pa running the family ranch. But when her pa died, a while back, she had no one to rely on but herself. From then to now, she's had to run the ranch, fight off thieves, and make ends meet all on her own."

"Now I understand why Waffles said she was tough," Luna thought aloud.

"She sure is," Waffles chimed in, "She can handle a gun pretty good, too. So you'd better not make her mad."

"Uggh, I'll be sure to… eh… keep dat in mind," Luna replied sounding slightly anxious, before slowing her slither ever-so-slightly to the banded gecko ranch hand, "If Ms. Beans has been lookin afta the place on her own, how'd you whined up der?"

"Uh-um," the teenage banded gecko stuttered, "W-well, ya see, I… I only started workin for Miss Beans a year ago. After what happened with Tortoise John, and a little talk from the sheriff, she finally agreed to have a few ranch hands around ta help. Miss Beans rides us hard, but she's a fair boss and works just as hard as the rest of us."

After that, Luna was quiet. Every so often, Rango would turn his head around to make sure she was keeping up with the posse. And every time he looked back, he saw the young snake just silently slithering along without breaking a sweat…

* * *

It was around noon by the time the group made it to the ranch. While Rango and the other Dirtonians tied up their roadrunners, Luna couldn't help but stare at the place. In front of the young snake stood a fairly large metal canister, with valve pipe sticking out the top, and a set of windows and doors fitted into the metal structure, while piece of a crooked metal-looking material stretched out to cover a crudely fenced in wooden porch. On the left side of the house was bent and dented metal canister, held up by a crude wooden structure, with skinny pipe stretching down to the ground from the canister. If Luna had to take a guess, the other metal canister was probably a makeshift water tower. On the right side of the house, was what looked like a small garden surrounded by a short crooked fence and a scarecrow in the center of it. Looking over the fence, Luna thought it was cute, but had to wonder what kind of garden was being grown out here. Her attention was drawn back to the house after the door was thrown open, revealing a pale-skinned female lizard in an old fashioned blue dress and shoulder length ringlets of… red… hair?

"I see ya got my message, Rango," replied a stern feminine voice.

"Sure did Beans," Rango replied tipping his hat, before gesturing to the young banded gecko in western clothing, "Billy here tells us that your boars broke out of their pen and made a run for it."

"Wait, BOARS," Luna exclaimed in her head, "I know those monsters can live anywhere, but out here in the desert?! And she's been raising them by herself and hasn't lost a limb!? That's crazy…"

"More like they broke through the fence, ran like hell and are now avoiding it like the plague," the lady lizard replied crossing her arms, "The only good thing is that they haven't gotten far. Me, Delilah and Joey tracked them about a mile一..."

Beans stopped talking, when she laid eyes on the lady rattlesnake. Her shock was obvious from the slight shrinking in her pupils. But then her gaze shifted to Rango, and narrowed into a glare that could kill. She then stepped closer to the sheriff, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled the poor chameleon closer to her. It was obvious to Luna that they were whispering to each other and that Beans was less than pleased at seeing her. From her vantage point, Luna could see that Rango was trying to calm Beans down but she couldn't catch what they were saying. But after a few minutes Beans calmed down a little, at least to the point where she let go of Rango's shirt and finished her story.

"As I was saying," Beans sighed, "Me, Delilah and Joey tracked my boars about a mile south of here. I told Delilah to stay and watch the sounder, while me and Joey fixed up the fence."

"I don't understand," Rango said, confused, "If you and Joey fixed up the fence and already knew where your boars went, then how come they're still out and about."

"That's the strange part," Beans replied, still keeping a cautious gaze on the young rattlesnake, "After we got the fence fixed up, me and Joey met back up with Delilah and tried to run the boars back into the pen. But whenever we got them close to the pen, they'd start bucking and squealing and stampede off to the same place."

"Dat don't make sense," Luna chimed in, earning a few looks from the Dirtonians, "It's just… uh, well… The boars we got back home don't move unless you force em to."

"What are you saying," Beans replied, eyeing the snake suspiciously.

"Well, umm," Luna stuttered, "Where I live, boars like to stay in one place. They're stubborn things, and only way they leave is if they die and you drag them out, or if something makes their territory too risky to stay in. No more food, a predator, flooding, things like dat."

"Let me get this straight," Beans said calmly, "You're saying that the boars won't go back in their pen is because something else in scaring them away?"

"If personal experience and the wisdom of old-timers is anything to go by," Luna said "shrugging her shoulders", before moving onto the path that lead up to the house, "They're your boars, it's your call… What'd ya want us ta do, Boss?"

For a moment, Beans just stood there on the porch. Mostly because she couldn't believe that a rattlesnake just called her Boss, or even showed her the slightest bit of respect. But after the shock wore off, thoughts of her sounder filled her head. She cupped her chin with two of her fingers, sinking deeper into thought as she started a slow pace, back and forth across the creaking porch. Then she started a slow walk, down the steps, towards Luna. Then, she stopped. Beans rasied her head to look into the golden lensed face of the young rattlesnake, before letting out a sighing groan.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do," Beans said seriously, before gesturing to the people around her, "Billy, Bird, you two are gonna help me get my boars back to my property. Rango, Waffles and uhh…"

"Luna, Luna Grimmore," Luna replied with a polite nod.

"Ok, you three look through the paddock," Beans said pointing to a hill behind the house, "See if you can find whatever might be spooking my sounder and get it out of there."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rango said tipping his hat, "C'mon Luna, I'll show you where the paddock is."

* * *

As soon as Beans and Wounded Bird left, Rango led Waffles and Luna up the hill towards the paddock that once held the boars. Rango couldn't understand why, but for some reason he thought that Luna was relieved about something. Then Waffles decided to open his crooked toothed mouth…

"Call me crazy Luna," the thorny lizard started, "But you look a lot more relaxed than you were when we left town. Why's that?"

"Simple," Luna replied with a chuckle, "It's cause I lucked out ah doin any boar wrangling."

"Huh," Waffles replied in confusion, "But I thought you said you handled boars back in the swamp."

"Uh, no," Luna blanched, "I said dat we had boars back home. I didn't say dat I was crazy enough to handle those monsters."

"Monsters," Rango exclaimed with a chuckle, "You sure you're not exagerating a little bit?"

"Look Sherif, I can assure you dat what we got ain't yer farm raised swine. What we got is a miniature bulldozer with dagger sharp tusks that won't hesitate to turn you into its next meal," Luna replied in a serious tone, "Back in the swamps, boars are more of a menace than a way of life. Mostly, because once they pick a territory, they stick to it. Long as they got lots'a food, water to drink and wallow in, and plenty of brush and undergrowth to hide in, they ain't goin nowhere. And even if they run low on any of those, they just expand their turf and tear up the place in the process. They root up the land, raid crops, wreck property, you name it. Some of dem suckers even crazy enough to go after humans."

"Boars can attack humans," Waffles exclaimed, shaking in his 'proverbial' boots, "There's no way…"

"Is true," Luna continued, "What's worse is dat they breed and grow like crazy. So much so, dat the humans where I live have a shoot to kill order out on those things… The irony is, dat those feral hogs didn't even exist in the swamp till the humans turned the damn beasts loose."

Sad thing was, Rango knew she was right. Because of his old life as a pet, he knew what humans were capable of. He learned that their greed and carelessness had terrible effects on the natural world and has lead to multiple extinctions and near extinctions all over the planet. And given the fact that he was once part of the exotic pet trade, he knew all too well about a few recklessly released pets could become an invasive species. And how they could grow out of control if they were left alone for too long. But now was not the time for that. Right now, Rango had a job to do, and that was to find out what spooked Beans's boars and sent them running. Easier said than done.

Once the group was in the large square paddock, they couldn't find a trace of anything that could have started the stampede. The paddock was clean of any manure and had plenty of food, water and shade, so no way the herd broke out to find any of that. Despite being broken and repaired this morning, the fence was solid and there were no nails sticking out, which could've stabbed and startled an unsuspecting hog. With the exception of Luna, there wasn't any sign of predators that could have startled the sounder. Luna was flicking her tongue around, trying to find any scent that didn't belong. But the only thing she could pick up was boars and manure. Then, the wind changed. A light gust blew through the paddock. All at once, a new scent caught Lunas' attention. It was faint, but she could smell something foul. She didn't know why, but the disgusting scent seemed familiar to her. Raising her head, she tried to figure out where the scent was coming from. Then, she locked onto it.

"Hey Rango," Luna called out, "I think I gotta scent."

"Really," Rango asked, "Which way?"

Pointing her tail in the direction of a water trough, on the opposite fence of the paddocks gate, she said, "Dat way, mon ami."

* * *

A short while later…

Making their way through the desert, the Rango and Luna were completely silent. Mostly because the chameleon didn't know how to break the ice with the cajun snake. As to why they were alone… well that was another one of Rango's "brilliant" ideas. Apparently, Rango had decided to send Waffles to find Beans and tell her where they were going. Thankfully Luna had suggested they dig an arrow in the dirt to show which way they went, in case Waffles forgot the direction. But now, Rango was out here, riding slowly through the desert on his roadrunner, with the lady rattler easily keeping pace next to him, and an awkward silence forming between them. That is, until Rango heard her take a big breath and sigh.

"Somethin wrong Miss Grimmore," Rango asked the snake.

"Nothin much," Luna replied, "I'm just gettin use ta bein' out here."

"What do ya mean by that," Rango asked.

"Nothin bad, just how different things are out here," Luna replied, "Like… back in the swamp the air is so thick dat, when it's hot, it feels like I can't catch my breath and like my coils weigh a ton. Out here, I take a big breath and feel my lungs stretch, and I feel like I could go at top speed for hours without stopping."

"Speakin of home," Rango started, "You said you came from a place called, 'Tesslooweeann'? What's it like?"

"Is called 'Tex-Louisian' formerly, but us locals say it as Tess-loo-we-ann," Luna replied, flicking her tongue every so often, "It got its name cause it's on the Texas-Louisiana border, and it is a wild place to live! Mostly because of how huge and how the territory changes every few miles. North of town, where I live, is called Jungle Bayou. It's a huge cypress grove with water everywhere and a lot of old boats and homes dat humans left behind. My home is in hotel made from an old paddle wheel riverboat that got washed up and caught in the trees. To the east ya got a marsh called the Emerald Archipelago. It's a maze of canals, waterways and ponds with floating islands of marsh grass all over the place, and the richest freshwater fishing grounds you ever seen. West, is known as Gold Dust Hills. Most of that territory is farmland with hills of golden grain and produce like you wouldn't believe. South is a series of mangrove forests and tidal estuaries called Salt Row. Dat place is… well, let's just say dat it ain't the most friendly place so most of us stay clear of it…"

"What do you mean by that," Rango asked, his interest now peaked, "What makes it so 'unfriendly'?"

"A lotta things… the waters are tricky, the land changes around when the tide goes out, predators from the sea can sometimes sneak in," Luna rattled off like it was normal information, "But I think the main reason is the cause of the runners."

"'Runners'?," Rango replied, confused about the term.

"You know, smugglers," Luna replied like it was something Rango should have known.

"Say what now," Rango exclaimed, stopping his roadrunner, "Just what kind of place is Tex-Louisian anyways?!"

"Home Sweet Home, sheriff," Luna replied with a grin, as she continued to follow the scent, "Home Sweet Home."

Rango was completely dumbstruck about what he just heard. So much so that he could only sit there on his stopped road runner, with his mouth hung open, and just watch Luna slither on without him. Just what the hell was this young snake mixed up with and how did she get mixed up in it in the first place. What's more, how can she talk about it like it's no big deal at all!? A sinking feeling started to form in his gut, and he was starting to regret asking Waffles to go back to Beans. No… He was regretting that he even let this lady rattlesnake come along with his posse in the first place. Those thoughts stopped when Luna called out to him.

"Hey Rango, I think I see something up ahead," Luna yelled out, stopping where she was.

"Oh… oh! What do ya see," Rango yelled back, as he got his roadrunner moving again.

"Not sure, sheriff," Luna said as the chameleon made his way up to her, "But, whatever it is, sure looks big."

Following Luna's line of sight, Rango could see a faint shape in the distance. It was definitely big, like Luna said, but it was long, too. From what Rango could see, it had rounded ends and was white in color. To him, it almost looked like some giant piece of pvc pipe that either got left behind it or thrown away by the humans. And after nearly getting hit by some of that carelessly discarded debri, once or twice, he wouldn't be surprised if it was.

"I think I see what yer talking about Ms. Luna," Rango replied, "I don't know about you, but I think we should take a closer loo—…"

All at once, Rango's roadrunner went nuts! The bird was jumping and bucking and kicking up dust all over the place. Poor Rango, all he could do was hold on for dear life as the panicking bird thrashed around like a rodeo bull. Unfortunately for him,that wasn't to long. One of the chameleons boots had slipped out of its stirrup and he had lost his grip on the reins. Without anything else to keep him in the saddle, Rango was thrown from his roadrunner like a rag doll. But instead of landing headfirst into the dirt, somehow he wound up landing on some of Luna's coils.

"You ok mon ami," she asked, showing genuine concern for the skinny lizard.

"Ahk… I've been better," Rango replied, slipping out of his western accent, "But I'm getting the feeling that my roadrunner didn't spook over nothing…"

"Agreed, and I'm thinkin dat whateva spooked ya roadrunna mighta spooked Beans's boars, too," the snake replied, raising her head to look back at the strange object in the distance, "Rango, hold on."

"Wait, hold on!," Rango exclaimed, looking up at the snake's head, "Why do I need to hold on?!"

"It'll be a lot fasta then you walkin," Luna replied, before bolting towards the object with said chameleon holding on for dear life.

And she was right. In almost the blink of an eye, Rango and Luna were right next to the strange white object. One thing for sure, whatever it was, it was huge. Sliding off of Luna's coils Rango walked up to the object and tapped on it with one of his knuckles, making it give off a metallic clang. All at once, Rango caught a whiff of something, something bad. Luna must have caught it too, because she had started sniffing and moving around the giant metal object. Rango decided to follow suit and was moving around the object trying to figure out what it was. As the chameleon got to one end of the object, he noticed that the end was slightly domed and that the object seemed to be resting on some kind of stand. All at once, the realization hit him. What Rango was looking at, was an old propane tank. But then, something on the side of the tank caught his eye. It looked like some kind of label, and he could see the symbol for flammable on it. But before he could read it, Luna came around the side of the tank at break-neck speed and grabbed him.

"Rango we gotta go," Luna shouted at him.

"Whoa, wait, what's going on," Rango replied, trying to hang on.

"I know why yer roadrunner and Beans's boars went crazy," Luna yelled again, fear in her voice, "Dat right there is a gas tank. Humans use it for storing somethin called gas. It stinks, ya can't see it and, if there's a spark, it burns like crazy."

"So why are we running away," Rango asked.

"Because, that thing is leaking that's why," Luna replied, panic in her voice, "Dis whole area is bout to blow!"


End file.
